Blogging from the forest...

Why? Because I can, darling, because I can....



Wishing you all a Happy New Year from a forest in New Hampshire...

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Adventures in Online Commerce: Shipping. I don't get it. (Pt. 6)

This will probably be my last post until after the New Year about my adventures in online commerce.

I've discovered that before I can actually post anything for sale in my "studio/store, I need to have the shipping figured out beforehand. No easy task, I have discovered, especially if all your items are different sizes and weights and I need to have costs for "primary" (one item) and "secondary" (more then one item) shipping. Then there is the added task of also figuring out what it would cost to send it the U.S., as well as internationally. Ugh. Too much to think about. So I decide I'll ask my local Postal person, she knows everything and is always helpful in these matters. And, she is helpful. She hands me a brochure on shipping and tells me I should go to the Canada Post website. Should be easy, I think. But, I discover everything seems to be priced from postal code to postal code. And, priced by weight. And, size. Not so easy or obvious as I hoped. Mmm...I'll definitely have to purchase a scale; then figure out what box size(s) will do; then I'll need to do some postal code to postal code test pricing.
But, it's going to have to wait until the new year...

Happy New Year, all!


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Adventures in Online Commerce: Reading is cool (Pt. 5)

As I was trawling around Artfire the other day, I happened upon their help guide called "The 45 Day Guide". Oooooh, this sounds good.
Upon reading it, I realize, that according to this help guide, I've only gotten up to "Day 2", so far, which requires me to read a whole load of articles, so that I actually understand what I'm doing here.
For that day, I read. Just read and nothing else.





Reading is good.

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Adventures in Online Commerce P. 4

I guess I can't very well keep avoiding this bio/blurb/shop's policy business. So what better way to figure this out then to read what others have wrote before you. Brilliant!
I start with shop policies, copying and pasting the ones that sound good like "all sales final" or "all items shipped by Canada Post". Anyway, I get about 7 or 8 policies posted. Well, that wasn't too hard.

Next, "the blurb". I check out one of my old cv's as I know it has an artist statement of sorts. Hmmm... I only can write 125 characters?! No matter, I'll just edit it down and take out the fluffy parts which kind of bugged me anyway. There...125 characters of slimlined beauty.

Bio.
Again, I am on the hunt to see what others have written in the bio area. Bugger. Most of them have hardly written anything! Some have written too much. Ugh. Not very inspiring, is all I can say. So, I begin by writing a "Welcome- to-my-online-shop-and-would-you-buy-something. Please?" sort of thing. Honest, direct and not very long.

And the final addition; a very nice photo, so that whoever visits your "shop/studio" knows that you really do exist.

I can feel, nay, know I'm getting closer to having my shop up and running...


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Adventures in Online Commerce P. 3

I find nothing harder then writing about one's self. I even have a former instructor, who would laugh at knowing how true this is for me. Usually, if I have to write my own bio, it means finding something else more meaningful (and possibly more painful) to do avoid this task: like the laundry; or housework; or plucking my eyebrows. But, never the less, here we are. So, I skip ahead to the Method of Payment.
You figure this would be pretty easy, but there was more to it than I thought, as I had to set up my own PayPal account. Don't get me wrong, there were other options. But, how many people do you know, who shop online, pay by check. Really? Sooooo, I sign up for my PayPal Account, but it will still take a few days for everything to be confirmed. Good thing, I'm not ready to open shop as I still have a bio, blurb and shop policies to write up. Remember?
Something tells me this whole undertaking is going to take longer then I anticipated.
Mmmmm....to be continued.....


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Adventures in Online Commerce P.2

I did it! I picked a name for my online shop. As daunting as that hurdle was, I managed to a) pick a name that I could live with (and that wasn't lame) and b) wasn't already taken by someone else, which by the way is always a possibility. Phew.
Now on to the next task: filling out the rest of this behemoth.





"Pro" or "basic"? I chose "basic" for now, as to be rather blunt, it's free. No, you don't get all the extras, but that's just more stuff to fill out and who wants that? Not moi.

"Avatar": easy. I have one always on hand (my self-portrait as an old-style pilot: I like it anyway and it has served me well.), but if you don't, you can always put up something temporarily in the meantime. Maybe a photo of your old Auntie or pet lemur or the type of thing you'll be selling, how novel? At least you can change it, in any case.
"Shop banner" (also easy): now that your shop/studio has a name, it's just a matter of picking a nice font (I just used one I downloaded for free off the internet.) and put it over top of a nice copyright free image. I figured, this could always be changed later as well. I want to get up and running, right?

Fortunately, with the "basic" package, you don't get much choice when designing your page; in fact, you only get a choice of 3 colour schemes. I choose the blue one. Done!

At having to fill out the shop bio, blurb and policies, I feel a sudden urge to lie down for a nap....

To be continued...

Adventures in Online Commerce P.1

I've been toying with the idea of setting up an Etsy or Artfire site/shop over the last few months and I finally took the plunge a few days ago. My reason being, mostly, that my basement work area is beginning to get crammed with the box assemblages I make and it's time I did something about it. I chose Artfire over Etsy, not for any particular reason other than I had looked at it a few times and I kind of liked it's name (yes, yes, I know, very shallow...actually more like lazy... but anyway...). So, I proceed to sign up and started to input all the info required to set up shop.

Difficult task #1: what to call your "studio" upon signing up. "The name you choose cannot be changed", I am informed. Choosing a name, especially one you can live with, can be a challenging task; it's kind of like naming a child (with the exception that if the child hates his/her name they can change it later, much to your chagrin.).
At that point, after staring at my laptop for a few minutes (...hours...), I decide that I've had enough for the day and that it's a good time for a cup of coffee.

To be continued...


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